Fire Prevention Tips for News Stories:
Fire Prevention and Home Fire Safety for Children

About 3,500 Americans die each year in fires and about 18,300 are injured. You can stop the fire before it starts. Use this fact sheet to learn how to prevent a fire in your home and know what to do if you have a fire.

Stop children from starting a fire, before it starts:

• Keep matches and lighters in a locked drawer or cabinet out of the reach of children. This should be a location where a child is least likely to explore.
• Teach your children to tell you when they find matches and lighters.
• Check under beds and in closets for burnt matches or other clues your child is playing with fire.

Be prepared for a fire:

• One of the best ways to protect yourself and your family is to have a working smoke alarm that can sound fast for both a fire that has flames, and a smoky fire that has fumes without flames. It is called a "Dual Sensor Smoke Alarm." A smoke alarm greatly reduces your chances of dying in a fire.
• Let children know what a smoke alarm sounds like and what to do when they hear it.
• Always dress children in pajamas that meet federal flammability standards, which means if the pajamas are exposed to a small open flame, the flame will go out. Avoid dressing children for sleep in loose-fitting, 100 percent cotton clothes, such as oversized T-shirts.
• Teach children not to hide from firefighters, but to get out of the house quickly and call for help from somewhere else.
• Show children how to crawl low on the floor, below the smoke, to get out of the house.
• Show them how to stop, drop to the ground, and roll if their clothes catch fire.
• Make and practice a home fire escape plan and set a meeting place outside. Make sure everyone in your family knows at least two (2) escape routes from their bedrooms.

To learn more on how you can prevent fires and fire deaths, please contact your local fire department's office phone number (not 911) or visit www.usfa.fema.gov.